DAVAO CITY — Rancho Palos Verdes pressed its title-retention bid by winning two of the three divisions disputed in the Mindanao leg it hosted last Saturday, inching to within three points of frontrunning Alta Vista in the Sta. Lucia Golf Tour 2005 here.
Palos Verdes Team 4 made up of Eduardo Wee (44), Ronald Galicia (42), Jessie Tan (40) and Andrew Bautista (31) collected 134 under the four-to-play, three-to-count format for a 267 aggregate and a runaway 18-point victory in Group 2 over another Palos Verdes team.
Palos Verdes 6 also delivered another big win for the team cause with Arsenio Lim (40), Ricardo Elizagaque (38), Alejandro Dayot (33) and Ramon Teodoro Garcia (26) to clinch Group III by eight over Eagle Ridge 6 with a two-day tally of 221.
Counting another third place finish in Group I, Palos Verdes topped the leg with 40 points and the Davaoeños are now just three points behind Alta Vista going into next month’s three-stage Luzon swing to be played in three different courses.
Saving the day for Alta Vista was its main squad of Carl Almario, Joseph Stevens, Edito Tirol and Enrico Solon who won leg honors in Group I for the second straight time with a 157-305. Eagle Ridge 1 placed second nine points behind.
Eagle Ridge’s two second place finishes enabled it to stay in the running for the overall plum with 59 points in the series for clubs under the Sta. Lucia umbrella of premium golf and country clubs which has Samsung, Omega, Titleist-Footjoy as hole-in-one sponsors and Philippine Airlines as official airline. Partner hotels for the new season are Marco Polo (Davao), Marriot (Cebu) and The Bellevue (Manila) with Unirock/Readycon and Pisanti as hole-sponsors.
Royale Tagaytay posted 18 points behind two fourth place finishes to be in fourth at 38, Summit Point at 32, Orchard 30, Lakewood 16 and Caliraya Springs 14.
Almario finally won the Class A individual title after losing in a countback in Cebu with his 111 total three better than Alfonso Marcelino of Palos Verdes.
